Improvement of Nursing Competency - Essay Example

Evaluation Plan Evaluation Plan The research proposes imparting knowledge to improve nursing competency and positively impact delivery of care with regard to efficacy in early detection and intervention of postpartum depression. The solution proposed in this research is characteristically an education recommendation (Fitz-Gibbon, Morris, University of California, & Los Angeles, 1978). It is a statement eliciting certain nursing educational requirements and strategies to be introduced, implemented and sustained for the best practice regarding early detection and intervention of postpartum depression. Knowledge is, thus, profoundly important in nursing practice and is attained through various ways of knowing. In the context proposed in this research, the ways of knowing are gaining comprehensive knowledge of the use of the different types of postpartum depression screening tools and identifying symptoms of postpartum depression. In addition, the education is also aimed to enhance the nurses’ competence in the detection of postpartum depression in mothers from different cultures. Type of barrier Screening tool related Symptoms related Cultural related High false-positive rate obtained from the use of a single screening tool. Mothers’ failure to identify symptoms. Poor choice of an appropriate screening tool to detect postpartum depression in mother from different cultures. Solution to barriers Screening tool related Symptoms related Cultural related Impart comprehensive knowledge of the use of the different types of postpartum depression screening tools. E.g. - the Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory (PDRI-R) - the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) - the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) Educate nurses to educate mothers on the ways of identifying symptoms of postpartum depression. Impart knowledge to enhance the nurses’ competence in the detection of postpartum depression in mothers from different cultures. Description of the Methods Used To Evaluate Effectiveness of Proposed Solution In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solution, there will be need to develop and follow an evaluation plan. This plan will be developed to consist phases depending on the stages involved in the research. Consequently, there will be four phases in the evaluation plan. The first phase will involve observing the statewide educating and training of nurses about the use of postpartum depression screening tools and making the appropriate choices to use on mothers from different cultures. The second phase will involve collecting surveys from the participants of the training. The third phase will involve the analysis of the percentage of variation between the percentage of detected cases before and after initiation of the improvement of efficacy in detection and intervention of PPD. Finally in the last phase, there will be in-depth interviews which will be conducted on a convenient sample in order to collect their feedback on the education and training initiative. Description of the Variables to Be Assessed When Evaluating Project Outcomes There are several variables which will be involved in this research. First there is the percentage of the cases of mothers suffering from postpartum depression which is not detected before the initiation of the proposed solution. Second there is the percentage of the cases of mothers suffering from postpartum depression which is not detected after the initiation of the proposed solution. The percentage of variation between the percentage of detected cases before and after initiation of the improvement of efficacy in detection and intervention of postpartum depression will be assessed to evaluate the project’s outcome. The attitudes of the nurses towards the initiative will also be assessed through questionnaires. Turnover of nurses to the initiative will be determined through surveys which will be conducted within the course of the research. Tools Necessary to Educate Project Participants Surveys are going to play an important role in the acquisition of data needed for analysis in this research. This tool will be utilized to attain data from the participants who will be involved in the initiative. Interviews of the participants will contribute to the data information necessary for the completion of this research. This will especially assist in the collection of data regarding nurse satisfaction of the outcomes of the research. Questionnaires will also be part of the tools to be utilized in the data collection in this research. This tool will be important to collect data that will be analyzed to determine the attitude of the nurses towards the initiative. Expected Outcomes There will be profound benefits from bridging the education deficit by imparting relevant knowledge in nurses bridging in the pursuit to improve their competence as far as postpartum depression early detection and intervention is concerned. Research has observed revealed that education and training are substantial representatives of a critical variable in the socio-economic success (Fitz-Gibbon, Morris, University of California, & Los Angeles, 1978). Thus it will promote equity as it will be taught with the consideration of different cultures demands in mind. Consequently, detecting postpartum depression will be relatively easy when dealing with a diversity of cultures which has been one of the barriers to the early detection and intervention of postpartum depression. With the trends which have been observed in the impact of education and training in researches, there is a high probability of indicating significant improvement of advanced skills in the early detection and intervention of postpartum depression which will contribute to their nursing competency (Fitz-Gibbon, Morris, University of California, & Los Angeles, 1978). The patients, postpartum depressed mothers, will benefit profoundly from the improved quality of nursing resulting from improved nursing competency. They will have increased access to learning about how they should identify postpartum depression symptoms in order to seek for intervention. This will, in turn, eliminate the adverse consequences which would otherwise have affected the mothers and their children if their condition had gone undetected. When nurses communicate the impact of learning about the identification postpartum depression symptoms to mothers, they will influence the mothers’ interest and curiosity to learn about it in order to improve their health. When mothers learn about what is most likely the most significant threat to their health as well as that of their children and families, they will be encouraged self-regulate their health by taking the necessary measures recommended by the education that they learn regarding detection of symptoms of postpartum depression. Consequently detection of postpartum depression will significantly have been made easier by mothers themselves. This, together with the increased number of postpartum detection by nurses will contribute to a significant extent to the overall increase in the percentage of those mothers whose cases of suffering from postpartum depression are detected. Thus there will be enhanced productivity of learning from the proposed solution of imparting knowledge to improve nursing competency and positively impact delivery of care with regard to efficacy in early detection and intervention of postpartum depression. Evaluation Dissemination Evaluation dissemination serves an important purpose of making sure that a successful project is replicated or expanded to a national, regional or continental scale (Fitz-Gibbon, Morris, University of California, & Los Angeles, 1978). The outcomes of the evaluation of this research will be disseminated and communicated to the stakeholders with regard to the dissemination strategy that will have been defined between the funders and the project conductors. References Fitz-Gibbon, C. T., Morris, L. L., University of California, & Los Angeles. (1978). How to design a program evaluation. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Read More